26
This article was downloaded by: [Stony Brook University] On: 22 December 2014, At: 08:53 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Library Administration Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjla20 Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century Becky Schreiber a & John Shannon a a Schreiber Shannon Associates , USA Published online: 12 Oct 2008. To cite this article: Becky Schreiber & John Shannon (2001) Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century, Journal of Library Administration, 32:3-4, 37-60, DOI: 10.1300/J111v32n03_04 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J111v32n03_04 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is

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Page 1: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

This article was downloaded by [Stony Brook University]On 22 December 2014 At 0853Publisher RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number 1072954Registered office Mortimer House 37-41 Mortimer Street London W1T 3JHUK

Journal of LibraryAdministrationPublication details including instructions forauthors and subscription informationhttpwwwtandfonlinecomloiwjla20

Developing Library Leaders forthe 21st CenturyBecky Schreiber a amp John Shannon aa Schreiber Shannon Associates USAPublished online 12 Oct 2008

To cite this article Becky Schreiber amp John Shannon (2001) Developing LibraryLeaders for the 21st Century Journal of Library Administration 323-4 37-60 DOI101300J111v32n03_04

To link to this article httpdxdoiorg101300J111v32n03_04

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor amp Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the ldquoContentrdquo) contained in the publications on our platformHowever Taylor amp Francis our agents and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy completenessor suitability for any purpose of the Content Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor amp Francis The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses actions claims proceedings demands costs expenses damagesand other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent

This article may be used for research teaching and private study purposesAny substantial or systematic reproduction redistribution reselling loansub-licensing systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is

expressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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Developing Library Leadersfor the 21st Century

Becky SchreiberJohn Shannon

SUMMARY The transformation in library and information servicesdemands intrepid leadership Within the profession we see excite-ment for boundless possibilities mingled with apprehension aboutwhich directions to pursue There is enthusiasm for implementingnew systems residing uncomfortably close to nostalgia for the olddays The library leaders we serve are eager to test their competencein managing these diverse reactions within themselves and their staffwhile occasionally having their own fears about being up to the task

This article presents our rationale for focusing on library leadershipat this point in time core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership de-velopment leadership traits we try to develop in training and consult-ing and the conceptual framework we use to design trainingexperiences We also include strategies administrators can use to developleadership within their libraries [Article copies available for a fee from TheHaworth Document Delivery Service 1-800-342-9678 E-mail addressltgetinfohaworthpressinccomgt Website lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy2001 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Leadership development leadership training leader-ship traits self-awareness

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon are partners in Schreiber Shannon Associ-ates a New Mexico-based change management consulting firm serving private andpublic organizations in high tech industrial and service sectors since 1973 Theyhave been consulting to libraries since 1983 and are best known in the field for theirwork in leadership institutes team development executive and staff retreats andstrategic planning

[Haworth co-indexing entry note] ldquoDeveloping Library Leaders for the 21st Centuryrdquo SchreiberBecky and John Shannon Co-published simultaneously in Journal of Library Administration (TheHaworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc) Vol 32 No 34 2001 pp 35-57and Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions Theory and Practice (ed Mark DWinston) The Haworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc 2001 pp 35-57 Sin-gle or multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Ser-vice [1-800-342-9678 900 am - 500 pm (EST) E-mail address getinfohaworthpressinccom]

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RATIONALE

Why is it critical to develop leadership within the library profes-sion at this particular time While leadership within the professionhas always been important the hyper speed of changes in informa-tion services now demands libraries that are lean mobile and strate-gic They must be lean to meet expanding customer expectationswithin the confines of limited budgets mobile to move quickly andeasily with technological and other innovations and strategic to an-ticipate and plan for market changes

As we consult with libraries across this country and internation-ally we see some trends which seem to be gaining force and speedThe expectations of customers are expanding and becoming morediversendashnew careers for aging baby boomers the proliferation ofhome-based and small businesses the cultural diversity of our com-munities and academic institutions patrons on both sides of thedigital dividendashall are looking to libraries for additional improvedand faster services Technology is driving decisions as librariesstruggle to balance budget allotments between traditional servicesand digital resources Staffing issues of recruitment training anddeployment are putting pressure on budgets and management poli-cies Our goal is to support libraries and their leadership as theymaintain their relevance at the core of their communities cam-puses and businesses

Building responsive organizations demands leadership whichmoves away from the bureaucratic paternalmaternal model of thepast to a more fluid engaging and collaborative one The speed ofchange requires action-oriented initiative from all staff membersnot just those at the top of the organization For those who have al-ways embraced the concept of encouraging leadership from everyposition in the organization and for those who are trying to makethe transition from their own traditional roots we applaud your ef-forts and hope this article will offer support

We began helping individuals and organizations respond to arapidly changing environment more than twenty-five years ago be-lieving that individual employees working at full capacity have themost to offer their organizations and the customers they serve Ourlifersquos work has become helping individuals realize their full poten-

38 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tial within healthy organizations that respond effectively to theircustomers

In 1983 we were invited into the world of libraries through thefront door of the Baltimore County Public Library in Marylandwhere we were then living We immediately recognized an affinitywith the values libraries holdndashindividual and community develop-ment intellectual freedom and life-long learning We also becameaware that the skills we teachndashmanaging the chaos of change tostrategic advantagendashwere desperately needed in libraries trans-forming themselves to meet client needs in the information ageWhile we continue to consult in a variety of other industries librar-ies have a special place in our hearts

When Dennis Day along with Margaret Chisholm Brooke Shel-don Bill Summers Paul Sybrowsky and Nancy Tessman asked us totake up the banner of library leadership in 1989 we added a leader-ship focus to our background in organization development for orga-nizations in transition Design of the Library Leadership Instituteat Snowbird gave us a forum to make a clear distinction betweenmanagement and leadership and enabled us to apply our teachingtechniques to the personal growth of individuals who have chosento lead within their libraries

The concept of ldquoleading from any positionrdquo has always been coreto our organization development consulting practice We have al-ways encouraged our clients to take the path of participative man-agement and teamwork and to recognize the advantages ofinclusion A few years ago Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Fol-lower which supports our approach to leadershipndashthat it needs tocome from each individual in the organization1 What he calls coura-geous followership we call leading from any position The conceptsare the samendashto become a leader you must first be a good followerthat is you must be loyal ethical proactive and constructivelyconfrontive leading from your current position

And how do we define leadership For the purposes of this arti-cle we will discuss ldquothose who have insight and initiate action in aneffort to inspire others to positive actionrdquo We want to support thesuccess of all leadersndashthose who lead from official positions ofpower and those whose leadership comes through informal influ-ence We particularly want to support library leaders to act on theirvalues courageously confronting the critical issues facing librariesin the 21st century

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 39

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CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 41

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 2: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

expressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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Developing Library Leadersfor the 21st Century

Becky SchreiberJohn Shannon

SUMMARY The transformation in library and information servicesdemands intrepid leadership Within the profession we see excite-ment for boundless possibilities mingled with apprehension aboutwhich directions to pursue There is enthusiasm for implementingnew systems residing uncomfortably close to nostalgia for the olddays The library leaders we serve are eager to test their competencein managing these diverse reactions within themselves and their staffwhile occasionally having their own fears about being up to the task

This article presents our rationale for focusing on library leadershipat this point in time core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership de-velopment leadership traits we try to develop in training and consult-ing and the conceptual framework we use to design trainingexperiences We also include strategies administrators can use to developleadership within their libraries [Article copies available for a fee from TheHaworth Document Delivery Service 1-800-342-9678 E-mail addressltgetinfohaworthpressinccomgt Website lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy2001 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Leadership development leadership training leader-ship traits self-awareness

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon are partners in Schreiber Shannon Associ-ates a New Mexico-based change management consulting firm serving private andpublic organizations in high tech industrial and service sectors since 1973 Theyhave been consulting to libraries since 1983 and are best known in the field for theirwork in leadership institutes team development executive and staff retreats andstrategic planning

[Haworth co-indexing entry note] ldquoDeveloping Library Leaders for the 21st Centuryrdquo SchreiberBecky and John Shannon Co-published simultaneously in Journal of Library Administration (TheHaworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc) Vol 32 No 34 2001 pp 35-57and Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions Theory and Practice (ed Mark DWinston) The Haworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc 2001 pp 35-57 Sin-gle or multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Ser-vice [1-800-342-9678 900 am - 500 pm (EST) E-mail address getinfohaworthpressinccom]

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RATIONALE

Why is it critical to develop leadership within the library profes-sion at this particular time While leadership within the professionhas always been important the hyper speed of changes in informa-tion services now demands libraries that are lean mobile and strate-gic They must be lean to meet expanding customer expectationswithin the confines of limited budgets mobile to move quickly andeasily with technological and other innovations and strategic to an-ticipate and plan for market changes

As we consult with libraries across this country and internation-ally we see some trends which seem to be gaining force and speedThe expectations of customers are expanding and becoming morediversendashnew careers for aging baby boomers the proliferation ofhome-based and small businesses the cultural diversity of our com-munities and academic institutions patrons on both sides of thedigital dividendashall are looking to libraries for additional improvedand faster services Technology is driving decisions as librariesstruggle to balance budget allotments between traditional servicesand digital resources Staffing issues of recruitment training anddeployment are putting pressure on budgets and management poli-cies Our goal is to support libraries and their leadership as theymaintain their relevance at the core of their communities cam-puses and businesses

Building responsive organizations demands leadership whichmoves away from the bureaucratic paternalmaternal model of thepast to a more fluid engaging and collaborative one The speed ofchange requires action-oriented initiative from all staff membersnot just those at the top of the organization For those who have al-ways embraced the concept of encouraging leadership from everyposition in the organization and for those who are trying to makethe transition from their own traditional roots we applaud your ef-forts and hope this article will offer support

We began helping individuals and organizations respond to arapidly changing environment more than twenty-five years ago be-lieving that individual employees working at full capacity have themost to offer their organizations and the customers they serve Ourlifersquos work has become helping individuals realize their full poten-

38 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tial within healthy organizations that respond effectively to theircustomers

In 1983 we were invited into the world of libraries through thefront door of the Baltimore County Public Library in Marylandwhere we were then living We immediately recognized an affinitywith the values libraries holdndashindividual and community develop-ment intellectual freedom and life-long learning We also becameaware that the skills we teachndashmanaging the chaos of change tostrategic advantagendashwere desperately needed in libraries trans-forming themselves to meet client needs in the information ageWhile we continue to consult in a variety of other industries librar-ies have a special place in our hearts

When Dennis Day along with Margaret Chisholm Brooke Shel-don Bill Summers Paul Sybrowsky and Nancy Tessman asked us totake up the banner of library leadership in 1989 we added a leader-ship focus to our background in organization development for orga-nizations in transition Design of the Library Leadership Instituteat Snowbird gave us a forum to make a clear distinction betweenmanagement and leadership and enabled us to apply our teachingtechniques to the personal growth of individuals who have chosento lead within their libraries

The concept of ldquoleading from any positionrdquo has always been coreto our organization development consulting practice We have al-ways encouraged our clients to take the path of participative man-agement and teamwork and to recognize the advantages ofinclusion A few years ago Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Fol-lower which supports our approach to leadershipndashthat it needs tocome from each individual in the organization1 What he calls coura-geous followership we call leading from any position The conceptsare the samendashto become a leader you must first be a good followerthat is you must be loyal ethical proactive and constructivelyconfrontive leading from your current position

And how do we define leadership For the purposes of this arti-cle we will discuss ldquothose who have insight and initiate action in aneffort to inspire others to positive actionrdquo We want to support thesuccess of all leadersndashthose who lead from official positions ofpower and those whose leadership comes through informal influ-ence We particularly want to support library leaders to act on theirvalues courageously confronting the critical issues facing librariesin the 21st century

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 39

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CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 41

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 3: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Developing Library Leadersfor the 21st Century

Becky SchreiberJohn Shannon

SUMMARY The transformation in library and information servicesdemands intrepid leadership Within the profession we see excite-ment for boundless possibilities mingled with apprehension aboutwhich directions to pursue There is enthusiasm for implementingnew systems residing uncomfortably close to nostalgia for the olddays The library leaders we serve are eager to test their competencein managing these diverse reactions within themselves and their staffwhile occasionally having their own fears about being up to the task

This article presents our rationale for focusing on library leadershipat this point in time core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership de-velopment leadership traits we try to develop in training and consult-ing and the conceptual framework we use to design trainingexperiences We also include strategies administrators can use to developleadership within their libraries [Article copies available for a fee from TheHaworth Document Delivery Service 1-800-342-9678 E-mail addressltgetinfohaworthpressinccomgt Website lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy2001 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Leadership development leadership training leader-ship traits self-awareness

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon are partners in Schreiber Shannon Associ-ates a New Mexico-based change management consulting firm serving private andpublic organizations in high tech industrial and service sectors since 1973 Theyhave been consulting to libraries since 1983 and are best known in the field for theirwork in leadership institutes team development executive and staff retreats andstrategic planning

[Haworth co-indexing entry note] ldquoDeveloping Library Leaders for the 21st Centuryrdquo SchreiberBecky and John Shannon Co-published simultaneously in Journal of Library Administration (TheHaworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc) Vol 32 No 34 2001 pp 35-57and Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions Theory and Practice (ed Mark DWinston) The Haworth Information Press an imprint of The Haworth Press Inc 2001 pp 35-57 Sin-gle or multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Ser-vice [1-800-342-9678 900 am - 500 pm (EST) E-mail address getinfohaworthpressinccom]

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RATIONALE

Why is it critical to develop leadership within the library profes-sion at this particular time While leadership within the professionhas always been important the hyper speed of changes in informa-tion services now demands libraries that are lean mobile and strate-gic They must be lean to meet expanding customer expectationswithin the confines of limited budgets mobile to move quickly andeasily with technological and other innovations and strategic to an-ticipate and plan for market changes

As we consult with libraries across this country and internation-ally we see some trends which seem to be gaining force and speedThe expectations of customers are expanding and becoming morediversendashnew careers for aging baby boomers the proliferation ofhome-based and small businesses the cultural diversity of our com-munities and academic institutions patrons on both sides of thedigital dividendashall are looking to libraries for additional improvedand faster services Technology is driving decisions as librariesstruggle to balance budget allotments between traditional servicesand digital resources Staffing issues of recruitment training anddeployment are putting pressure on budgets and management poli-cies Our goal is to support libraries and their leadership as theymaintain their relevance at the core of their communities cam-puses and businesses

Building responsive organizations demands leadership whichmoves away from the bureaucratic paternalmaternal model of thepast to a more fluid engaging and collaborative one The speed ofchange requires action-oriented initiative from all staff membersnot just those at the top of the organization For those who have al-ways embraced the concept of encouraging leadership from everyposition in the organization and for those who are trying to makethe transition from their own traditional roots we applaud your ef-forts and hope this article will offer support

We began helping individuals and organizations respond to arapidly changing environment more than twenty-five years ago be-lieving that individual employees working at full capacity have themost to offer their organizations and the customers they serve Ourlifersquos work has become helping individuals realize their full poten-

38 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tial within healthy organizations that respond effectively to theircustomers

In 1983 we were invited into the world of libraries through thefront door of the Baltimore County Public Library in Marylandwhere we were then living We immediately recognized an affinitywith the values libraries holdndashindividual and community develop-ment intellectual freedom and life-long learning We also becameaware that the skills we teachndashmanaging the chaos of change tostrategic advantagendashwere desperately needed in libraries trans-forming themselves to meet client needs in the information ageWhile we continue to consult in a variety of other industries librar-ies have a special place in our hearts

When Dennis Day along with Margaret Chisholm Brooke Shel-don Bill Summers Paul Sybrowsky and Nancy Tessman asked us totake up the banner of library leadership in 1989 we added a leader-ship focus to our background in organization development for orga-nizations in transition Design of the Library Leadership Instituteat Snowbird gave us a forum to make a clear distinction betweenmanagement and leadership and enabled us to apply our teachingtechniques to the personal growth of individuals who have chosento lead within their libraries

The concept of ldquoleading from any positionrdquo has always been coreto our organization development consulting practice We have al-ways encouraged our clients to take the path of participative man-agement and teamwork and to recognize the advantages ofinclusion A few years ago Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Fol-lower which supports our approach to leadershipndashthat it needs tocome from each individual in the organization1 What he calls coura-geous followership we call leading from any position The conceptsare the samendashto become a leader you must first be a good followerthat is you must be loyal ethical proactive and constructivelyconfrontive leading from your current position

And how do we define leadership For the purposes of this arti-cle we will discuss ldquothose who have insight and initiate action in aneffort to inspire others to positive actionrdquo We want to support thesuccess of all leadersndashthose who lead from official positions ofpower and those whose leadership comes through informal influ-ence We particularly want to support library leaders to act on theirvalues courageously confronting the critical issues facing librariesin the 21st century

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 39

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CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 41

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 4: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

RATIONALE

Why is it critical to develop leadership within the library profes-sion at this particular time While leadership within the professionhas always been important the hyper speed of changes in informa-tion services now demands libraries that are lean mobile and strate-gic They must be lean to meet expanding customer expectationswithin the confines of limited budgets mobile to move quickly andeasily with technological and other innovations and strategic to an-ticipate and plan for market changes

As we consult with libraries across this country and internation-ally we see some trends which seem to be gaining force and speedThe expectations of customers are expanding and becoming morediversendashnew careers for aging baby boomers the proliferation ofhome-based and small businesses the cultural diversity of our com-munities and academic institutions patrons on both sides of thedigital dividendashall are looking to libraries for additional improvedand faster services Technology is driving decisions as librariesstruggle to balance budget allotments between traditional servicesand digital resources Staffing issues of recruitment training anddeployment are putting pressure on budgets and management poli-cies Our goal is to support libraries and their leadership as theymaintain their relevance at the core of their communities cam-puses and businesses

Building responsive organizations demands leadership whichmoves away from the bureaucratic paternalmaternal model of thepast to a more fluid engaging and collaborative one The speed ofchange requires action-oriented initiative from all staff membersnot just those at the top of the organization For those who have al-ways embraced the concept of encouraging leadership from everyposition in the organization and for those who are trying to makethe transition from their own traditional roots we applaud your ef-forts and hope this article will offer support

We began helping individuals and organizations respond to arapidly changing environment more than twenty-five years ago be-lieving that individual employees working at full capacity have themost to offer their organizations and the customers they serve Ourlifersquos work has become helping individuals realize their full poten-

38 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tial within healthy organizations that respond effectively to theircustomers

In 1983 we were invited into the world of libraries through thefront door of the Baltimore County Public Library in Marylandwhere we were then living We immediately recognized an affinitywith the values libraries holdndashindividual and community develop-ment intellectual freedom and life-long learning We also becameaware that the skills we teachndashmanaging the chaos of change tostrategic advantagendashwere desperately needed in libraries trans-forming themselves to meet client needs in the information ageWhile we continue to consult in a variety of other industries librar-ies have a special place in our hearts

When Dennis Day along with Margaret Chisholm Brooke Shel-don Bill Summers Paul Sybrowsky and Nancy Tessman asked us totake up the banner of library leadership in 1989 we added a leader-ship focus to our background in organization development for orga-nizations in transition Design of the Library Leadership Instituteat Snowbird gave us a forum to make a clear distinction betweenmanagement and leadership and enabled us to apply our teachingtechniques to the personal growth of individuals who have chosento lead within their libraries

The concept of ldquoleading from any positionrdquo has always been coreto our organization development consulting practice We have al-ways encouraged our clients to take the path of participative man-agement and teamwork and to recognize the advantages ofinclusion A few years ago Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Fol-lower which supports our approach to leadershipndashthat it needs tocome from each individual in the organization1 What he calls coura-geous followership we call leading from any position The conceptsare the samendashto become a leader you must first be a good followerthat is you must be loyal ethical proactive and constructivelyconfrontive leading from your current position

And how do we define leadership For the purposes of this arti-cle we will discuss ldquothose who have insight and initiate action in aneffort to inspire others to positive actionrdquo We want to support thesuccess of all leadersndashthose who lead from official positions ofpower and those whose leadership comes through informal influ-ence We particularly want to support library leaders to act on theirvalues courageously confronting the critical issues facing librariesin the 21st century

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CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 5: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

tial within healthy organizations that respond effectively to theircustomers

In 1983 we were invited into the world of libraries through thefront door of the Baltimore County Public Library in Marylandwhere we were then living We immediately recognized an affinitywith the values libraries holdndashindividual and community develop-ment intellectual freedom and life-long learning We also becameaware that the skills we teachndashmanaging the chaos of change tostrategic advantagendashwere desperately needed in libraries trans-forming themselves to meet client needs in the information ageWhile we continue to consult in a variety of other industries librar-ies have a special place in our hearts

When Dennis Day along with Margaret Chisholm Brooke Shel-don Bill Summers Paul Sybrowsky and Nancy Tessman asked us totake up the banner of library leadership in 1989 we added a leader-ship focus to our background in organization development for orga-nizations in transition Design of the Library Leadership Instituteat Snowbird gave us a forum to make a clear distinction betweenmanagement and leadership and enabled us to apply our teachingtechniques to the personal growth of individuals who have chosento lead within their libraries

The concept of ldquoleading from any positionrdquo has always been coreto our organization development consulting practice We have al-ways encouraged our clients to take the path of participative man-agement and teamwork and to recognize the advantages ofinclusion A few years ago Ira Chaleff wrote The Courageous Fol-lower which supports our approach to leadershipndashthat it needs tocome from each individual in the organization1 What he calls coura-geous followership we call leading from any position The conceptsare the samendashto become a leader you must first be a good followerthat is you must be loyal ethical proactive and constructivelyconfrontive leading from your current position

And how do we define leadership For the purposes of this arti-cle we will discuss ldquothose who have insight and initiate action in aneffort to inspire others to positive actionrdquo We want to support thesuccess of all leadersndashthose who lead from official positions ofpower and those whose leadership comes through informal influ-ence We particularly want to support library leaders to act on theirvalues courageously confronting the critical issues facing librariesin the 21st century

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 39

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CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 41

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 6: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

CORE VALUES AND BELIEFS GUIDING OUR DESIGNSFOR LEADERSHIP TRAINING

A leadership focus to our work forced us to confront our beliefsand values about how ethical leadership can exert positive and pro-ductive energy toward strategic results for libraries What followsare the beliefs we bring to leadership training design and what wehope is transferred to our participants When we do leadership in-stitutes we expect the nominated participants who attend to begood at leading Our intention is to make them better For someldquogetting betterrdquo means letting go of personal fears that hold thembackndashfeeling their personal sense of confidence grow beyondbounds For many it is glimpsing a personal vision of what mightbe with some good ideas on how to get there In our programs wecreate an intense and supportive learning environment so while noone has to travel their road alone leadership development is a per-sonal journey for each participant Thus it should be noted thatself-awareness is an important component of leadership develop-ment

Leading Is Organic

It is a discovery process Each new dilemma we encounterinforms us about what we need to learn next Leaders need to culti-vate a welcoming attitude toward leadership problems There aremodels and theories to guide each personrsquos development but ulti-mately each of us must learn to lead by analyzing a situation devel-oping a plan and getting into action We learn from the results ofour attempt to exert influence Experience is the best teacher It isfrom our magnificent failures that we learn the most valuable les-sons The library leaders we most respect are those who have beenbold enough to have some failures and who are willing to share thelessons they have learned

Involvement Leads to Commitment

This is such common good sense that leaders can easily overlookits guidance and often do As consultants we always build in op-portunities for involvement and as leadership trainers we designexperiential learning into every program The core belief is that in-volving individuals in decisions that directly impact their lives opens

40 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 41

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 7: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

the door to their sense of professionalism accountability and com-mitment to succeed At our programs each participant is expectedto define his or her personal learning goals and pursue them to suc-cessful conclusion

There is research to support our belief in inclusion As early as1936 Roethlisberger and Dickson studying the Western ElectricHawthorne factory discovered that environmental factors were notas important as the workers being involved in controlling their worklives When asked what would improve working conditions at theHawthorne Plant the workers identified brighter lights Brighterlights were installed and production went up When asked againlater the workers said the lights were too bright and the lights werereturned to previous levels or below Production went up Clearlyone of the keys to the increased production was the simple act ofasking workers for their input in a change situation and then mak-ing it happen The results of this early experiment became known asthe Hawthorne Effect and the relevance remains with us today2 Tohave an empowered workforce one must involve them in design-ing analyzing and creating the results of their labor Time andagain we have seen committed library employees working with apoor plan surpass another group that has a great plan but low com-mitment

The following example demonstrates how we use this belief inconsulting Years ago we facilitated resolution of a bitter conflictwithin a county library system by involving all staff in finding the so-lutions We interviewed the major players asking how the conflictcould be resolved We shared the various perceptions with every-one interviewed and helped them identify what could be resolvedand what needed to be let go As a result of this open group sharingthe staff clarified a number of misunderstandings let go of someold resentments recommitted to traditional and innovative goalsand developed a plan of implementation It was seen by the new di-rector the patrons the local press and the library board as a 180E

turnaround Involvement led to commitment and in this case re-vived a good system that had become mired in deep conflict

We encourage leaders in our institutes and in our consultingpractice to trust the process of involvementndashto not omit it for effi-ciencyrsquos sake or for fear of losing control It is one of the most pow-erful tools a leader can use to build change or turn around anorganization

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Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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14

When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 8: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Sharing Power Builds Strategic Partnerships

These ideas of sharing power and involvement include the li-braryrsquos partners as well When a colleague of ours assumed the di-rectorship of a large municipal library she reached out to establisha close working relationship with the mayor and city governmentThe new relationship led to exciting results for all involved The li-braryrsquos bond issue passed with the support of the city governmentand they are now building a spectacular new main library that willanchor redevelopment of the city center While this professional re-lationship cannot be given complete credit for all that came after itsestablishment it was a critical first step toward something great forthe library its patrons and the city

This is an example of ldquoout of the boxrdquo thinking in strategic partner-ships between systems In Ohio a city library and next-door county li-brary system are sharing a branch that serves a fast-growingneighborhood that straddles their common boundary Independentlyneither had sufficient capacity to support this branch easily and the pa-trons did not neatly fit the geographic jurisdictions As we understand itthe city library built and maintains the branch while the county systemstaffs it The library systems and communities can be justly proud of asolution these two directors found by working together for common ad-vantage

Within library systems there are numerous examples of librarianscrossing traditional boundaries of organizational infrastructure tocreate new partnershipsndashaction teams job sharing and the blurringof professionalparaprofessional boundaries Although non-tradi-tional relationships may create anxiety the leaders of tomorrow mustsee them as opportunities to create the next step in their libraryrsquosevolution We support leaders who continually look for opportuni-ties to build strategic partnerships that go beyond the easy win-win toencompass the needs of the whole community they serve and create acollective result for all stakeholders

Systems Thinking Is Essential

Conventional organization development wisdom says ldquoevery-thing is connected to everything elserdquo This sweeping statementinforms us that when one part of an organization is manipulated allother parts will feel the impact This makes sense yet how manytimes do managers focus only on their particular responsibilitywithout considering the consequences for those in other parts ofthe organization A holistic systems approach has enormous stra-

42 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 9: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

tegic importance when attempting to exert influence and lead orga-nizations through a chaotic change process We rely on our leadersto avert disaster and one of the best ways to do so is to look beyondthe bits and pieces of the change to maintain a system-wide aware-ness of the nature of the impact of changendasha concern for the inter-connectedness of the whole system To do this leaders must rely ontheir network of employees or form change management teamsthat will hold a systemrsquos viewndashto see the necessary system-widechanges through the eyes of their organizationrsquos values and pur-pose

Start Where the System Is

This belief is a leadership strategy that builds on the previousideas of involvement and systems thinking Before leaping into ac-tion effective leaders need to understand the structures the staffand their currently-held perceptions of themselves traditional his-tory and the organizationrsquos place in the community This under-standing should suggest where and where not to begin We do noturge caution but the development of a respect for what is already inplace

One of our participants tells the humorous story of how he whenfirst hired to supervise a tech services group let his enthusiasm forquick improvements run away with him Over a weekend when hisstaff was not around with efficiency on his mind he moved deskstables and stacks of material He streamlined what he saw as ran-dom chaotic piles of materials and quite pleased with the new sys-tem could not wait for Monday morning to see the gratefulexpressions on his new staff membersrsquo faces He was stunned bytheir negative reaction and as he laughingly tells it was quite luckyto escape with his hide in one piece Sure he screwed up but moreimportantly he learned a valuable lesson Start where the system isand involve those affected in identifying what must change and howto implement

While many think that they would never make a mistake like thisone think again We have seen many organizations reconfigured bynew leadership who were unaware or unconcerned that a restruc-turing had recently preceded them And how many ldquocrash andburnrdquo experiences could have been avoided by leaders not startingtoo far ahead leaving everyone behind So we design this impor-tant leadership value into our leadership programs

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 43

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Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 10: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Build Capacity for Learning Wherever You Go

Organizations that are curious about where they are going andwhat might be possible are the ones defining the future for the pro-fession Learning organizations do not just happen They are devel-oped by leaders who value the opportunity to learn for themselvesand encourage this same opportunity for those around them Theycreate innovative organizations through formal and informal struc-tures partnerships and teams that learn from their experienceEmployees within learning organizations are encouraged to haveconversations at all levels and across boundaries to problem solvethink out of the box and generate innovative solutions

In our consulting we shift the focus from right-wrong fault-find-ing to modeling continuous learning-expecting organizational shar-ing of how results were achieved

Enhance Your System by Leaving Your Skills Behind

As consultants we sometimes quip that our responsibility is towork ourselves out of a job We try to transfer knowledge and expe-rience to build organizational capacity to operate more effectivelywhen we are gone For leaders this value should be true as wellFew professions have as well-traveled senior leaders as the libraryprofession Building the organizationrsquos competency base throughtraining mentoring coaching and power sharingndashin each job youholdndashis part of the leaderrsquos job In our institutes we encourage par-ticipants to build the leadership skills of those around them in theorganization even those above them If the participants could ldquodoit betterrdquo as we so often hear we ask them to help their manager dojust that We assert that ldquoevery person has something to learn andsomething to teachrdquo No one is irreplaceable or should be We needto share our knowledge and skills to ensure the success of the orga-nization

Amidst All the Innovation Be Practical

Thus far we have said leaders should involve others take a sys-tems approach build relationships welcome problems and proba-bly have enormous personal charisma and then a reasonablygood practical plan that just might work

44 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 45

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 11: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Bill Cosby tells the hilarious tale of his Temple University foot-ball coach whipping the team into a frenzy to win the game only tofind out they are locked in the locker room Leading means having aplan to get the team out of the locker room and onto the playingfield to make things happen A pragmatic approach is the ability toformulate how to organize people and resources in realistic ways

Our bias as consultants or trainers is to insure a level of practical-ity in whatever we are doing We like to anchor learning and prac-tice new skills in ldquoreal timerdquo workndashwork that will make a differenceto individuals within the organization and to the customers theyserve People are more likely to commit their energies to projectsthat are the ldquorightrdquo thing to do and within the resources and abili-ties of those tasked to do them A well-crafted vision statementshould inspire but also be concrete enough to be seen in practice Atask force should have lofty goals and a project plan with measure-ments at key intervals A leaderrsquos ability to clearly define andbroadly communicate a practical plan is as fundamental as knowingwhere they are going It is critical for employees to believe that theyhave a decent chance of success

Express an Optimistic Bias

An optimistic bias means giving straight messages with an opti-mistic style The message is ldquowe can do this and this is howrdquo Ex-pressing confidence in yourself and othersrsquo ability to succeed is partof it We coach participants to be ldquorealistic Pollyannasrdquo During thechaos of change some will voice their fears and doubts While it isimportant to create the forum for such natural hesitation it isequally important to counter balance the situation with realistic op-timism Leaders must learn to use specific past experiences to dem-onstrate the reasons for their current confidence

The corollary to this value is also true At times everyone eventhe most powerful feels a need to express their frustrations Thesmart leader does not express his or her powerlessness publicly butfinds ways of bolstering the flagging confidence with an active sup-port network People trust those who stay focused on the goal andare not disabled or side-tracked from the goal by a temporary set-back

Expressing an optimistic bias is the final belief we bring to the de-velopment of leadership To make our own optimism about libraryleadership for the future a reality we also support the development

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of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 12: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

of six critical leadership behavior traits in the leaders we servendashfromthe enthusiastic young leadership participant to the seasoned se-nior administrator facing new challenges

SIX CRITICAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

We believe that leadership starts with some innate tendenciesbut we agree with Brooke Sheldon Warren Bennis James KouzesBarry Posner and others that leadership skills can be developedBrooke Sheldon writes in Leaders in Libraries ldquoall of our studentshave some measure of leadership ability and this ability can beidentified nurtured and strengthened in the process of attainingthe first professional degreerdquo3 Bennis says in Leaders ldquoLeadershipseems to be the marshaling of skills possessed by a majority but usedby a minority But it is something that can be learned by everyonetaught to everyone denied to no onerdquo4 In The Leadership Chal-lenge Kouzes and Posner state ldquoby viewing leadership as anonlearnable set of character traits a self-fulfilling prophecy hasbeen created that dooms societies to having only a few good lead-ers If you assume that leadership is learnable you will be surprisedto discover how many good leaders there really arerdquo5

We have been teaching leadership skills for many years and haveseen the difference learning these skills can make in the lives ofthose who attend our workshops The evidence can be seen in ca-reer decisions made committees chaired and challenges well metSo what are the skills critical to effective leadership

At various times during the evolution of our consulting practicewe have defined five to ten leadership traits They have not changedsignificantly but have been grouped to meet design demands Thefollowing six are leadership capabilities we encourage whether weare serving courageous followers or senior administrators In eachsection we will share how we encourage development of thesetraits in our institutes and suggest how library administrators cansupport development of each trait at all levels of their organiza-tions

Self-Awareness

46 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 47

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 13: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Leaders who know themselves are able to maximize theirstrengths learn new skills and know when to get out of the way ofthose who can do it better

Generally administrators know how difficult it can be to findpeople who will give you direct feedback the best tool forself-awareness Unless the administrator has consciously encour-aged staff to do so they are reluctant to share negative informationabout the administratorrsquos performance to tell the emperor he orshe has no clothes It is often more rare for the administrator tohear appreciative acknowledgment of a job well done The staffsimply supposes that he or she does not want to hear bad news andthat the administrator knows when he or she performs well

Acknowledgment of strengths and weaknesses and asking forhelp with them can be a powerful way to engage all staff in support-ing each otherrsquos success If one ldquoownsrdquo that she is not expecting her-self to perform perfectly the staff may be willing to help one to be abetter leader and the organization can commit itself to the im-provement of every staff member including the senior administra-tors We once worked with a tough-minded chief executive officerof a major hospital who was making his first speech to his top 65managers as the new CEO His ascension to the post was not uni-versally popular because he had had to make some hard decisionsto make the organization profitable We suggested that he includein the speech his strengths and weaknesses and how he would needthe help of this group to be successful After getting over the shockthat we had seen some weaknesses and delineated the same he ac-quiesced and did a beautiful job talking to his managers He was as-tounded by the standing ovation he received and learned that aleader sharing his humanity can be very powerful in building sup-port for his own success

In our workshops we use self-assessment instruments like theMyers Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram to help participantsexamine their styles of leadership and to suggest developmentalstrategies All of our experiential activities are designed to help par-ticipants gain personal insight on practical matters of leadershipOur goal is to create opportunities for exerting leadership in a safelearning environment Being challenged is certainly part of the pro-gram but equally important is the analysis of what occurred duringthat challenge Understanding what happened and why is the keyWere the desired outcomes achieved Whose support did I gain or

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lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 14: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

lose Were there new opportunities generated by our activitiesDid we stay focused on the goal Did we build trust and teamworkSuch questions produce critical learning and may define the nextsteps in a learning process or in an organizationrsquos future We haveyet to meet an effective leader who has stopped analyzing themoves he or she makesndashlearning more about themselves and thedynamics of leadership We try to foster this inquisitiveness andvalue of life-long learning in all our programs

In our consulting we encourage leaders in any position in the or-ganization to ask for performance evaluation and support the de-velopment of a strong appraisal system If leaders are not gettingfeedback they need to figure out how to get it and make sure theyare doing their part by providing information to others to help themto be successful Leading from any position means supporting 360E

feedbackndashup down and across the chain of commandndashand sup-porting the success of every employee including the boss

We encourage administrators to set the tone for self-awarenessin the organization If one is willing to look for personal insight us-ing self-assessment instruments and share the results (warts andall) staff will be more open to learning about themselves With aneffective performance appraisal system with regularly scheduledtwo-way assessment systematic feedback and coaching staff in-cluding managers will get used to sharing constructive feedbackwith each other By setting aside a generous share of the budget fortraining and attending conferences the administration sets the ex-pectation of career-long improvement for the staff

Embracing Change

Leaders must convince others that change is normal and recog-nizing that each person deals with change differently must guidethem through the chaos

Library administrators know all too well that the pace of changecontinues to accelerate Managing change may be the single mostimportant leadership skill to learn for now and the foreseeable fu-ture Peter Vaill of George Washington University School of Busi-ness and Public Management describes the chaos of change aspermanent white water6 We gratefully acknowledge and freely usethis analogy to help leaders understand their role in navigating the

48 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 49

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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14

Page 15: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

white water of change The most critical task of the leader is to helpemployees see the quickening pace and volume of changes as nor-mal If they are waiting for ldquothings to get back to normalrdquo or ldquosettledownrdquo they are missing the opportunities inherent in the changeThey may even think you are a poor leader to let these things hap-pen to them

In developing leaders we use their own professional situations toillustrate how layers of organizational changes produce the whitewater effect and how to use a transition model to make the right in-terventions at the right time within each change For example thethird stage of our transition cycle is ldquoThe Pitrdquo It is a time of emo-tional turmoil when employees get disheartened and lack the will toproceed Staff is often labeled as ldquoresistantrdquo at this point and lead-ers get impatient It is critical at this stage for leaders to create fo-rums for honest discussion of concerns and fears Organizationalsoul searching will enable genuine issues to emerge optimistic real-ism to be heard and self-confidence to return This is also the timefor keeping the goals and a plan to get there in front of people Agood leader will also make a keen distinction between staff who arein the Pit because they are temporarily discouraged and the morepermanent but few people in some organizations we call PitDwellers Appropriate leadership responses to the two groups areentirely different

To keep up with the pace of changes leaders must build a criticalmass of support to implement each change not wait until everyonehas bought into them Consensus is often confused with unanimityand waiting for unanimity can paralyze movement toward goalsWe have seen this taken to the extreme in some library systemswhere a minority of one effectively has veto power If we donrsquot allagree we wonrsquot move That is shifting participation intodemocracyndashnot a viable way to lead

In our workshops we also share individual reactions to changebased on the Myers Briggs Type Table to help leaders developstrategies to move themselves and others through the transitionOnce again self-awareness and awareness of others can transforma leaderrsquos effectiveness in managing change reduce the amount ofeffort needed and shorten the time to accomplish the goals

For administrators managing a transition it is helpful to possessthe insights we have mentioned and to then communicate con-stantly with staff In the chaos of change opportunities for commu-nication must be deliberate and frequent The new rule of ldquoshare

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what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 16: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

what you know as soon as you think you know itrdquo replaces commu-nicating on a ldquoneed to knowrdquo basis It is important to treat peoplewith respect by keeping them in the loop The grapevine is quickerthan official memos and since people always imagine the worst ad-ministrators must figure out how to manage rumors One of our cli-ents created the ldquoRestroom Readerrdquo to get out breaking newsEnough said Make sure communication goes in all directionsndashupdown and across the organization Putting the systems in place tofind out what staff thinks and providing opportunities to share greatideas on how to break down barriers to reaching goals are worth-while tactics Resistance to change is often overcome by having aconversation with staff around three questions Why are we doingthis What will it look like when we get there How will it affectme

Customer Focus

Leaders know it is important for the organization to be strategicnot just reactive

This leadership trait speaks to why libraries existndashfor their cus-tomers It answers the question ldquoWhy are we doing thisrdquo Duringtimes of rapid change it is easy to become self-focused concernedabout how we as individuals or the organization will survive It is en-lightened self-interest for leaders to keep their focus oncustomersndashas a way to ensure customer satisfaction and individualand organizational relevance If one accurately anticipates and in-telligently responds to customer needs the organization can be po-sitioned to take advantage of major trends

In our leadership institutes and in our consultation with librarieswe encourage leaders to identify customer expectations currentand potential competitors professional innovations core capabili-ties national and international trends funding changes and otherfactorsndashto create a map of their current environment We oftenhave them take a look back as well to identify core values and les-sons learned from the past This builds a context for strategic plan-ning Without it planning is being done in a vacuum Then one canevaluate the libraryrsquos current response to its environment and val-ues with an analysis of strengths weaknesses opportunities andthreats to determine strategic directions

50 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

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22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

Dow

nloa

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Dec

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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by [

Ston

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rook

Uni

vers

ity]

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22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 17: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

When the Borders bookstore chain first burst onto the scene li-braries saw them first as irrelevant then only as competition Nowlibraries are coordinating story times piggy-backing on booksignings and finding other ways to serve the same customers whilebuilding a broader customer base for both organizations Leadersof libraries must clarify the market niche of their organizations inrelation to competitors and potential partners Traditionally thiswas the planning activity of identifying the libraryrsquos roles In the newPlanning for Results by Himmel and Wilson what we call your mar-ket niche is described as ldquowhat a library does for or offers to thepublic in an effort to meet a set of well-defined community needsrdquoor service responses7

An intimate knowledge of customer expectations and profes-sional practices takes the guesswork out of planning Library re-structures capital projects beginning new services and ending oldonesndashall should be in response to accurate and frequent communi-cation with customers and colleagues in the field Strategies formeeting customer demands within limited budgets need to beshared more consistently throughout the profession One of thepleasures of our consulting practice is sharing good ideas among cli-ents We like linking those clients who have an experience thatmight be helpful to another client so that all do not have to startfrom scratch We would like to see even more publication of suc-cesses and failures to enhance the learning opportunities within theprofession

Administrators know that polling of internal customers helpswith continuous improvement and smoother teamwork Accuratelymeasuring the quantity and quality of internal work processes en-ables libraries to enhance services within the existing budget andstaff limitations We are always amazed at the efficiencies employ-ees find when given the opportunity to analyze their own work flowand at the teamwork created by seeing other departments as suppli-ers and customers

Stands to Take in the Future

Leaders put their stakes in the ground Based on core personaland organizational values they create a shared vision to pull theorganization into the future

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 51

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Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

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22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Dec

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

Dow

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ded

by [

Ston

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Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 18: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Leaders see the present through eyes of the future Some do itthrough data gathering and analysis to project logically into the fu-ture Others intuitively see what lies ahead always thinking in fu-ture tense and have difficulty staying in the present very longWhatever direct or circuitous road they take leaders must be ableto imagine the future in sufficient detail to plot the route for othersThey must determine which traditional values and practices will gounscathed into the future and which must be altered to enter into anew era

The Cheshire cat told Alice ldquoIf you donrsquot know where yoursquore go-ing any road will take you thererdquo Particularly in a time of multipletransitions leaders must create a shared vision with their followersA clear sense of ldquowhere the organization is goingrdquo is a beacon lead-ing the way into an unfamiliar port the North Star to weary travel-ers The more compelling and widely held the vision the moredrawing power it has It must create the critical tension needed tostimulate action In the eyes of staff the destination must be worththe effort of the journey

When we do strategic planning with libraries we pull together asmany stakeholders as possible to work together to create an organi-zational visionndashthat is where they would like the library to be in 3-5years in response to its customers and environmental context Wedo the same thing in our institutes but with a focus on libraries as awhole rather than on one system We ask people in both situationsto take time out to imagine the possibilities without limitations oftime and money There is plenty of time to do reality checks laterthis is the time to dream We want people to imagine the best theycould be as an organization then write what they see in concretecompelling credible confronting and easily communicated lan-guage We are always encouraged by the excitement that is gener-ated and the creativity explored as notes are compared andintegrated into an organizational vision The other steps of strategicplanning follow Strategic directions are defined goals are priori-tized activities are initiated and the whole organization moves thevision toward reality

We encourage administrators to explore the power of engagingthe entire staff and other stakeholders in organization-wide plan-ning There are several guides to further understand the processMarv Weisbord and Sandra Janoff present a process in FutureSearch An Action Guide to Finding Common Ground in Organiza-tions amp Communities complete with sample flip charts8 In Preferred

52 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

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In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

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Dec

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14

J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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ded

by [

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Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 19: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

Futuring Lawrence Lippitt encourages us to Envision The FutureYou Want And Unleash The Energy To Get There9 Large group facil-itation is a challenging business but ldquogetting everyone in the roomrdquocan have a profound effect on motivating change and gaining com-mitment to organizational goals It then becomes the administra-torrsquos job to make sure the vision is constantly guiding decisions atevery level of the libraryndashto make course corrections for a safe andtimely arrival

Collaborative Spirit

Leaders build relationships and coalitions they commit them-selves to support the success of others

This trait is so core to our beliefs about leadership it sends wavesinto every other trait Theodore Friend III past president ofSwarthmore College defines leadership as ldquoheading into the windwith such knowledge of oneself and such collaborative energy as tomove others to wish to followrdquo10 Yet in the real world ofcompetitionndashfor limited dollars for personal accolades for staffand customersndashit is difficult to keep a big-picture long-term col-laborative view As we said earlier we are realistic optimists Webelieve in abundancendashthat there are more money unlimited praiseenough staff and customers to be created We just have to figureout how to get people to work together to create those possibilitiesWe have already described specific examples of these strategic col-laborations in the section on strategic partnerships

Based on our belief that involvement leads to commitment weencourage leaders to involve followers at every opportunity Whydo so many managers believe they must do it alone Too many be-lieve it is a sign of weakness to ask for help pride themselves ontheir independence or arrogantly believe only they can do itldquorightrdquo All of us like to be asked for advice and suggestions Beingasked demonstrates a leaderrsquos faith in employeesrsquo opinions Greatleaders surround themselves with good people then use them wellask for their advice Leaders recognize they can bask in the re-flected light of othersrsquo success and thereby comfortably assume therole of servant leader defined by Robert Greenleaf11 Rather thanbeing threatened or diminished by their followersrsquo success they aredelighted by it and proud to be supportive

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 53

Dow

nloa

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by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

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Uni

vers

ity]

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853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

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rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

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ded

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ity]

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Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

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Uni

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22

Dec

embe

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14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 20: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

In our workshops we ask leaders to evaluate their work relation-ships looking for defining characteristics of both the good and badWe define steps for initiating new relationships and suggest strate-gies for enhancing or fixing existing ones We involve senior libraryleaders as mentors in our programsndashto share their examples ofbuilding collaboration in their organizations and to expand thepossibility thinking of the less experienced participants Their sto-ries and our own experience convince us that the long-term rela-tionship is often more important than the victory immediately infront of us The critical task of leaders is to make that determina-tion

In leadership institutes we also discuss and practice the use of in-fluence without power at all levels within and beyond the libraryOften all that is necessary for collaborative relationships and thepotential to exert influence is letting go of the constraints of tradi-tional management practice and reaching out to others with a goodidea and an offer of sharing the rewards and the load both at the in-stitutes and back in the library Being honorable ethical and con-sistently reliable authenticates the offers Continually scanning forthe right partners and the right opportunity is a leadership practicewe hope becomes the norm for library leaders at all levels of the or-ganization

Encouraging collaborative work relationships is a primary re-sponsibility for administrators and modeling the way is probablythe most effective strategy To shift onersquos approach from a moretraditional hierarchy executive or management coaching might behelpful Organizational agreement on common ground rules(norms for how you want to work) is a powerful tool because onecan anticipate trouble spots and plan for them But ground rules areonly effective if one is willing to confront violations in straightfor-ward but compassionate ways Administrators who hold them-selves and others accountable to a higher standard andinstitutionalize ground rules in all-level performance appraisal andreward systems will see a collaborative spirit emerge

Bias for Courageous Action

Leaders believe that individual acts of courage recreate organiza-tions Leaders act with passion and courage and encourage oth-ers to take risks

54 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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22

Dec

embe

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14

A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

Dow

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ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

Dow

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ded

by [

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rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Dec

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14

Page 21: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

A stated core value of a client we serve is ldquoinventiveness to infinityrdquowhich they define as ldquoboundless creativityrdquo Exciting to consider is itnot Also exciting to work in such an organization But how can lead-ers support such exuberant risk taking Leaders in that client organi-zation have encouraged initiative by eliminating fault-finding usingmistakes and missteps as learning opportunities They also reward risktaking with a rather substantial monthly and yearly ldquospirit awardrdquo Thetangible rewards are not money but premium parking spaces extravacation and such

Richard Senge describes some strategies for encouraging actionin The Fifth Discipline as he defines a learning organization12 Sys-tems thinking personal mastery commitment to a shared visionteam learningndashall are concepts leaders must embrace to encourageaction At a local microchip plant managers and staff use a dailyldquoall-handsrdquo meeting to track progress share ideas and learn frommistakes At a national laboratory projects are not complete until afinal ldquolessons learnedrdquo session is documented Within our clientsystems we use the Synectics Inc process of creative problemsolving within team meetings to encourage positive treatment of in-dividual ideas One method from that process provides for evaluat-ing ideas in an even-handed way The ldquoItemized Responserdquo forcesus to first consider the merits of an ideandashwhat we like about itndashandthen use concerns about the ideas as springboards to innovativethinking It enables a work team to get away from killing ideas be-cause one small part wonrsquot work and avoids the usual litany ofldquoTheyrsquoll never let us It will cost too much We donrsquot have thestaff rdquo and the multitude of other reasons that stop ideas beforethey have a full hearing The ldquohow could we rdquo phrase moves us tomore creative thinking 13

Courage can be defined as ldquochoosing to act in the face of fearrdquoWe have seen many examples of courage in the library administra-tors wersquove served Mentors at our leadership institutes tell amaz-ingly candid stories of risks taken spectacular successes and equallyfabulous failures We hear inspirational stories from individualswho continuously put their fears aside to venture into the unknownWe worked in a library which was moving from a traditional chainof command to a more participative management style The direc-tor was insightful enough to know that his style was more traditionaland was courageous enough to back off and allow his managementteam to lead the way He enabled the transition to occur and sup-ported the results demonstrating self-awareness and courage

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 55

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

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7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

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Page 22: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

J Paul Getty said ldquoWithout the element of uncertainty thebringing off of even the greatest business triumph would be a dullroutine and eminently unsatisfying affairrdquo 14 Administrators knowthat most decisions are made with inadequate informationndashthat thebest you can do is take calculated risks Rewarding staff when theytake reasonable risks is a powerful tool in creating an organizationwith a bias for action One can encourage initiative by creating ldquoac-tion teamsrdquo to solve problems implement programs or re-designwork processes It is important to make sure the teams know theirparameters and have progress checks so they can be supported andtheir recommendations implemented

We ask developing leaders to step up to the challenge in our in-stitutes by leading their learning groups evaluating their pastrisk-taking performance and participating in activities to test theircourage The pattern is clear After taking initiative in the insti-tutes participants are energized and enthusiastic about finding op-portunities to do it again They learn that the best way to developcourage is to be courageous

In this field we have found that interpersonal confrontation isoften experienced as an opportunity for courageous action thatlearning confrontive diplomacy is a challenge many want to avoidAdministrators can support leadership in their libraries by taking apersonal stand based on principle encouraging others to do thesame then listening well and working toward resolution

DESIGNING LEADERSHIP TRAINING

When designing leadership training programs that transfer theleadership values and traits outlined above we try to balance abstractconcepts with experiential activities We believe both are necessaryfor integrated learning on the three attributes that enable a person toperform at a high competency level knowledge attitude and skillThese three attributes are like a stool with three legs If one leg is tooshort you will fall over For example a recent MLS graduate mayhave plenty of knowledge and a positive attitude but needsreal-world skill before becoming a consummate professional A

56 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Our responsibility Participantrsquos Responsibil-

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22

Dec

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14

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

Dow

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ded

by [

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y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

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Uni

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at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Page 23: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

long-term employee may have knowledge and a great attitude butmay need some new skills to perform well

We also take into account that everyone has a different preferredlearning style In the National Training Laboratory InstitutersquosReading Book For Human Relations Training David Kolbrsquos modelof adult learning is described in the article titled ldquoHands-On orHead Trip How Do You Learn Bestrdquo15 Kolb describes the learn-ing process as a four-step model

He states that each of us has a preferred way of learning entersthe model from any of the four positions then proceeds around thecircle in the direction of the arrows For instance one may prefer tolearn by first having a concrete experience One would then reflectupon what happened Out of this reflection one would form gener-alizations about the situation then test generalizations in a new sit-uation Thus the subject is now learning from a concreteexperience of his or her own making and so on around the circleSo in our design of training programs we challenge the partici-pants on all three attributes using both conceptual learning and ex-periential activities with time to reflect and test Ultimately thegoal is for the participants to successfully apply their newlearningndashin all three areas of knowledge attitude and skillndashwhenthey return to their real world lives

Our Design Model

The process of actually designing the training is a seven-step pro-cess from design through delivery to the participants applying theirlearning

Our responsibility starts at the bottom of the arrow setting learn-ing objectives based on the traits values and beliefs we want theparticipants to develop We then adapt concepts or models thatsupport the learning objectives The structure process and timingof events creates the overall workshop design Each activity shouldbuild on the learning of those which preceded and the pace shouldallow for both action and reflection At the fourth step we crossover the arrow as we engage the participants in co-creating experi-ential learning There are many opportunities for feedback butparticipants must take an active role in requesting and absorbingthe feedback they receive It is primarily their responsibility to de-velop conclusions from the information they receive transforming

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 57

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

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ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Page 24: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

that into new beliefs and models While we help with action plan-ning the final and most important step is taken when they returnhome to apply the lessons learned

STAGES OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We have presented our rationale for focusing on library leader-ship core beliefs guiding our approach to leadership developmentleadership traits we try to develop in training and consulting andthe conceptual framework we use to design training experiencesWe included specific workshop approaches and strategies adminis-trators can use to develop leadership within libraries

The first stage of Courageous Follower is borrowed from IraChaleff16 We can support those in this stage by teaching them earlyon that they can lead from anywhere in the organization and thattheir inexperience can be used to ask the naiumlve question in challeng-ing the status quo

Stage 2 is Mastery when the normal job is mastered and there isconfidence in the personrsquos ability to perform at a high level We cansupport this employee by encouraging professional sharing pub-lishing and training of less experienced staff

Stage 3 is one of Exerting Influence going beyond the day-to-dayjob to have an influence in the rest of the organization They may bedoing that from the beginning but in this stage it should be a cen-tral focus These stages are additive not exclusive In other wordsin Stage 3 they donrsquot stop asking questions or performing master-fully they add the span of influence To support Exerting Influencean administrator simply needs to set the expectation then assign re-sponsibilities which fit that role If they have not yet moved into po-sitions in the hierarchy of the organization they should beencouraged to do so or find informal opportunities for influence

As a Stage 4 Mentor experienced leaders go beyond the sharingof basic skills to take several employees under their wing groomingthem to accept a hand-off of the leaderrsquos former responsibilitiesMany administrators are in this stage thinking actively about succes-sion planning Once again succession planning should be an earlierconsideration as well but now it should be a central focus

And finally Stage 5 is the Sage A wonderful freedom comes withthis stage It is a time for final influence and re-creation of them-selves for finding new ways to support the profession while incor-porating other passions of their lives Our favorite story of this stage

58 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

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ded

by [

Ston

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rook

Uni

vers

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at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Page 25: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

is of Margaret Chisholm who after retiring from the library and in-formation science profession indulged her passions books traveland shopping She invented a position with a cruise line doing booktalks while traveling the world shopping at international portsNow thatrsquos a Sage

We view leadership development as a life-long endeavor whichneeds different kinds of support for different stages of our livesWhile the stages of leadership development are overlapping andnever as neat as a model might demonstrate we think the conceptsare useful in planning that support The reader may want to con-sider in which stage she sees herself functioning right now and howto continue her own development

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wersquod like to dedicate this article to Margaret and another es-teemed leader we served Dennis Day It was a privilege to be in-spired by and learn with them We admire their vision in seeing theneed for library leadership development back in 1989 and theirwillingness to take action with the creation of the Leadership Insti-tute at Snowbird

We also acknowledge that any good work we do with libraries isimmeasurably enhanced by our association with our consulting cli-ents and the mentors and participants of our institutes Our ownleadership learning continues through their willingness to allow us togrow with them

NOTES

1 Chaleff I (1995) The Courageous Follower Standing Up To and For OurLeaders San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

2 Roethlisberger FJ and Dickson WJ (1936) Management and theWorker Cambridge MA Harvard University Press

3 Sheldon BE (1991) Leaders in Libraries Chicago and London AmericanLibrary Association 71

4 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 27

5 Kouzes J and Posner B (1987) The Leadership Challenge San FranciscoJossey-Bass 314

6 Vaill P (1996) Learning as a Way of Being San Francisco Jossey-Bass10

Becky Schreiber and John Shannon 59

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

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at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14

Page 26: Developing Library Leaders for the 21st Century

7 Himmel E and Wilson WJ (1998) Planning for Results A Public LibraryTransformation Process Chicago and London American Library Association

8 Weisbord MR and Janoff S (1995) Future Search An Action Guide toFinding Common Ground in Organizations amp Communities San Francisco CABerrett-Koehler

9 Lippitt LL (1998) Preferred Futuring Envision the Future You Want andUnleash the Energy to Get There San Francisco CA Berrett-Koehler

10 Bennis W (1985) Leaders The Strategies for Taking Charge New YorkHarper 44

11 Greenleaf RK (1991) Servant Leadership New York Paulist Press12 Senge PM (1990) The Fifth Discipline The Art and Practice of The

Learning Organization New York DoubledayCurrency13 Synectics Inc is an engineering firm which has become well known for its

innovative problem solving processes14 We saw this quote on a plaque in a clientrsquos office15 Colantuono S (1982) ldquoHands-On or Head-Trip How Do You Learn

Bestrdquo Reading Book For Human Relations Training National Training Labora-tory Institute for Applied Behavioral Science 300 North Lee Street Suite 300 Al-exandria Virginia 22314

16 Chaleff The Courageous Follower

60 Leadership in the Library and Information Science Professions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Ston

y B

rook

Uni

vers

ity]

at 0

853

22

Dec

embe

r 20

14